69 pct of survey respondents support charging foul hikers for rescue services

BEIJING - A survey released by the China Youth Daily showed that 69 percent of the respondents support charging hikers who disobey scenic area rules for rescue services.

Only 22.3 percent consider charging for rescues too harsh, while 10.6 percent think that by doing so, scenic areas and rescuers would avoid taking responsibilities.

The survey came after a recent decision made by the Yading scenic spot in southwestern China's Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, which stated that rescuers within scenic areas will charge at least 15,000 yuan (about 2,165 U.S. dollars) for each case, as a lot of personnel and material resources will be needed to rescue hikers who venture into forbidden zones.

Among the 2,008 people surveyed, 69.2 percent believe such decisions would raise hikers' safety awareness, while 60.6 percent think it would help utilize public resources in a more reasonable and effective manner.

As for how to carry out such decisions, 63.5 percent of those surveyed want scenic spots to make their rules clearer, so that when accidents happen, those who have not broken the rules can be rescued for free, while 61.5 percent think rescues should be conducted before the charges.